In case you missed ‘em, here are the latest Bay Area school headlines:
You thought you had the perfect party set-up? Lafayette police just tore down an illegal plywood party house built by Acalanes high school students in the hills of Briones Regional Park. “The Shack” had a bar, couches and a fire pit and was just ”amazing,” say the Lafayette officers who tore it down after discovering “Shack” fliers advertising keggers.

Sparks flew at a West Contra Costa school board meeting this week after trustees Dave Brown and Charles Ramsey (who’s not exactly known for his diplomatic skills) got into a heated debate over the choice of a parcel tax consultant, and Brown walked out angrily.Meanwhile, a proposed Oakland schools boundary shift is sparking cries of dismay in Rockridge neighborhoods.

And despite the high school graduation rates touted by politicians, the reality is that a third of California’s teens will never get their diplomas. Want to take the measure of what that means for everyone? Read Shirley Dang’s story about the link between high school dropout rates and homicide and violent crime rates. It’s frightening.